EU unveils plan to purchase weapons from inside Europe, reduce reliance on US
The European Union has called on its members to reduce their security dependency on the United States, and instead purchase their military equipment from other EU members.
The EU’s executive branch revealed its “Readiness 2030” security strategy on Wednesday.
NATO intelligence claims that Russia will be able to launch another attack on Europe in three to five years.
“Readiness 2030” calls on member countries to increase their preparedness in the face of another invasion, and buy the majority of their armaments from Europe itself, and work with European suppliers.
“Readiness 2030” has warned that while the US remains a key ally, Europe can no longer rely on it to defend a continent with a population of 450 million.
“The era of the peace dividend is long gone. The security architecture that we relied on can no longer be taken for granted,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
“Readiness 2030” allows member countries to purchase equipment from abroad when costs, performance or supply delays make it preferable.
According to data released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a leading defense and armaments think tank, Europe's clamber to rearm itself in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has increased the Continent’s military dependence on the US.
NATO countries in Europe have more than doubled their arms imports between 2020 and 2024, and the US has supplied over 64% of the total, a 52% increase over the previous five-year period, SIPRI said.
These statistics demonstrate the difficulty Europe faces as it attempts to decrease its military dependence on the US and become responsible for its own defense, SIPRI stated.
Despite these challenges, Europe seems determined to become self-reliant in the face of future conflicts, in and outside of the Continent.
“We must invest in defense, strengthen our capabilities, and take a proactive approach to security,” said Von der Leyen.
Since coming to office, US President Donald Trump has argued that US security priorities are its own borders and Asia and that Europeans would have to defend themselves against Russia.
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